Man who racially abused footballer Yannick Bolasie online is jailed

Image source, Rex Features

Image caption, Yannick Bolasie was playing for Middlesbrough at the time of the incident last March

A man who sent racist abuse to footballer Yannick Bolasie, and was then found to have images of child abuse on his phone, has been jailed.

Kirk Thompson, 22, was exposed on social media by the DR Congo international who was playing for Middlesbrough at the time.

Thompson, from Ravenscraig in Fife, was arrested and four indecent images and videos were discovered on his device.

He was sentenced to a year in prison at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.

Thompson pleaded guilty to three charges of possession of indecent images of children, permitting to be taken or making indecent images of children, and sending a racist message.

The court heard how winger Bolasie, now playing with Caykur Rizespor in Turkey, branded Thompson "a keyboard warrior" and "a rat" after receiving the online abuse in March last year.

Placing Thompson on the sex offenders register, Sheriff Alastair Brown said his actions were deliberate and contributed to what he described as a trend of abuse being sent online and a toxic environment.